Our Fillmore Shockwaves cross country has concluded their season 2022 with 2 Junior Olympics AAU in Tennessee and USATF in Texas. This Season brought too many challenges from our athletes with Covid 19, RSV, viruses, rain, wind and hot weather. Some of our runners did not make it to the Junior Olympics due to the challenges. The first Junior Olympic was AAU National Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 3rd, 2022. This race took place in Victor Ashe Park, the athletes ran in rain, mud, and cold weather. The lows were 39F and the highs 60F. Our first athlete was Coach Isrrael Estrada running the 5K Master opening Race. Isrrael got 5th place overall out of 18 athletes. He got 2nd place on his group age 45/49 with a time of 21:59.99. Isrrael brought a silver medal to Ventura County.

The 2nd race of the day was the high school runners. We have Niza Laureano running a 5k. She finished 16th place out of 60 girls. Niza placed 10th on her group, age 15, with a time of 21:10.47 bringing a medal to Ventura County. The Boys high school athletes Joshua Estrada and Jirhet Cruz running a 5K. Joshua Estrada finished his race 53rd place out of 96 athletes. Joshua finished 13th place out of his group, age 16, with a time of 19:45.10, and his teammate Jirhet Cruz finished in 72nd place out of 96 athletes. He placed 24thin his group, age 15, with a time of 20:44.70. The next race was 13/14 girls running a 4K. This year, Paola Estrada fought the flu, the cold, and a knee injury. She finished 41st out of 150 girls. Paola finished 26th in her group, age 13, with a time of 16:57.95. Jorge Cruz was the next runner placing 151st out of 219 boys. Jorge placed 86th in his group, age 13, with a time of 17:03.50. The following race was by 9/10-year-old girls 3k. On this race, we have Leah Laureano finishing in 26th place overall out of 127 girls. She finished in 9th place out of her group, age 9, with a time of 13:58.86 bringing Ventura County a medal. Almost the last race of the day was 7/8 boys 2k. On this race we have Jesus Cruz placing in 41st place out of 88 athletes. He finished in 34th place on his group, age 8, with a time of 9:21.64. The last race of the day was the 7/8 girls 2k. On this race we have Kamila Estrada finishing in 56th place overall out of 70 athletes. Kamila finished in 13th place on her group age 7 with a time of 10:38.65. Her teammate Aniyah Hogains finished in 16th place overall out of 70 girls. Aniyah finished 15th place in her group age of 8 with a time of 8:55.88. This Athlete helped their team to place in First place bringing Ventura County 2 medals, AAU hat, and an All-American Honors. In this Junior Olympics we had several athletes that were not able not make it due to sickness or personal reasons, but we want to congratulate them for their amazing season. Hila Sasson, Hanna Sasson, Sarah Sasson, Naomi Sasson, Abraham Saldana and Isaac Saldana.

The USATF Junior Olympic took place in Dale Watts Cross Country Course in College Station, Texas. This time in Texas the weather was 80 F with 83% humidity and some rain. Aniyah Hogains was the first Shockwave runner to run. Aniyah got 26th place out of 189 girls 7/8. She took 25th place on her group, age 8, with a time of 8:11.2. The Second runner was Aaliyah Tarango. She ran sick but finished in 59th place out of 283 girls 9/10. She finished in 39th on her group, age 10, with a time of 12:30.3. Our last runner Paola Estrada running with a knee injury. She got 80th place out of 333 girls 13/14. Paola finished 53rd place on her group, age 13, with a time of 16:10.3. The runner has amazing coaches that taught them to run with their heart, to have fun, and to enjoy what they do. Thanks to the Coaches: Head Coach Temo Laureano, Assistants head coaches Isrrael Estrada and Juan Toledo and Coach Karina Estrada.

Pacific Coast Shockwaves Fillmore wants to thank everybody who supports the team. See you in our next season of 2023.

The Sespe River is flowing once again due to the 4.52 inches of rain Fillmore received in December, according to the Ventura County Watershed. In some parts of the Sespe the water nearly meets the sidewalk along the bike path behind Waterford Lane, taken the morning of January 1st, 2023. There was a flood watch in affect as of Tuesday, January 3rd to Thursday afternoon according to the National Weather Service. What - Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. Where - Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
When - From Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon. Impacts - Significant flash flooding and debris flows are possible, especially in and below recent burn scars. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of creeks, streams, and urban areas. While the
risk of main stem river flooding is low, water flowing through normally dry rivers may be a threat to some homeless communities. Courtesy https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=34.398990000000026&lon=-11...

The train horn is something different for everyone. For some, it is a nostalgic memory, for others, an annoyance, but for railroaders, it is all about safety. The City of Fillmore has within its limits, 17 public and private grade crossings all of which must have the horn sounded.

Federal law dictates that the engineer must blow the horn with a sequence of blasts in the fashion of long, long, short, and long no later than 15 second prior to entering the crossing. Failure to do so could also bring personal fine(s) to the engineer of up to $30,000, per incident.

But putting law aside for a moment, something that is routinely seen in Fillmore and throughout the country, are cars, trucks, and busses going around lowered crossing gates; vehicles that stop between the gates and the track, and pedestrians and bicyclists that try to quickly cross in an effort to beat the train. According to Operation Lifesaver, a person or vehicle in the United States is struck every three hours, usually ending in a fatality. It is a well-established but misunderstood fact that trains cannot stop quickly. The combination of weight and momentum, even at 10 mph, will propel a train, with air brakes locked in emergency for thousands of feet before coming to a complete stop.

Is there nothing that can be done for Fillmore’s peace and quiet? Yes. It’s called a quiet zone. Quiet zones can only be implemented by a public authority or local government, which must then pay for the upgrades to the crossings needed to bring them up to quite zone standards. The public authority or local government then assumes the liability if a vehicle or pedestrian is struck by a train within a quiet zone. There are quiet zones in cities and towns through the country.

Next time you hear the train horn and think it’s loud and annoying, just know that the engineer is mandated to do it in an effort to keep residents and train crews alike safe by alerting every one of the approaching train. – Matt Blackburn.

Mr. Blackburn is the Ventura Division Manager of the Sierra Northern Railway.

Enlarge Photo

By Carina Monica Montoya
ISBN: 9781467109185
$23.99 | Paperback
Available: Monday, January 30, 2023

About the Book
Fillmore is nestled at the foot of the Topatopa Mountains at the confluence of the Santa Clara River and Sespe Creek. The town was formed in 1887 and named after Jerome A. Fillmore, who was the general superintendent for the Southern Pacific Railroad at the time. The rail line enabled passenger travel and the transport of commercial agricultural products, and it put Fillmore on the map. Incorporated in 1914, Fillmore is one of the oldest incorporated towns in Ventura County and is designated as part of the county’s agricultural greenbelt. Fillmore’s history is based on it being located on some of the most productive agricultural and oil-rich lands in the country. Today, it is still a predominately agricultural town that supplies citrus, avocados, and a variety of vegetable crops around the country and abroad. It is a hidden small-town gem in Southern California, and its downtown architecture epitomizes small-town charm, making it a popular tourist destination and site for film and television productions.

About the Author
Author Carina Monica Montoya is a native Californian and resident of Fillmore. She has written several books for Arcadia Publishing. Some of the vintage images included here span more than 100 years and showcase Fillmore’s rich and vibrant history.